Not Losing Hope
by x-attackonereri-x
Summary: Levi refuses to give up hope on finding a missing Eren. It's been five months and he's determined more than ever to find the titan. (This will eventually be Levi x Eren, just saying.) Also, rated M for later chapters!


**Hey, so I obviously don't own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin! Also, I'm fairly new to the fandom, so if I have something wrong, don't hesitate to let me know! **

**And, last thing, I promise: Please review! I like know what people think of my work, even if it's criticism! I welcome it with open arms!**

Levi Ackerman stood tall in front of the new squad members, taking in their anxious faces, their tweetering movements, and their noticeable nervous atmosphere. Each one of them holding their saluting stance, looking straight ahead, trying to seem calm and collected. But Levi wasn't fooled, he could practically smell the fear radiating off of them and that excited him.

"Who's ready to start the day?" He yelled to them, noticing one girl flinch, the action causing him to roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Us, sir!" They all shouted back in unison.

Levi lifted an eyebrow, watching as the same girl started to slightly shake. He made his way over to her, resting his hands on his hips once he was situated in front of her. "Tell me, what is your name, soldier?" He asked her.

She looked up, eyes falling on his face and not his eyes. "L-lisa, sir." She said quietly. Levi scoffed.

"I can't hear you!" He yelled at her, causing the girl to shudder.

"LISA, SIR!" She shouted again. Levi smirked in satisfaction, his actions causing the girl to relax.

"Good, now, all of you will be on cleaning duty for the day." He spoke sternly. "Thirteen of you will be assigned to cleaning the living quarters, meaning the kitchen, all bathrooms, the pantries, the closets and anything you think may be dusty. I will be checking, and if I find a single thing wrong, don't think you won't be punished for it. The remaining five of you will be on stable duty. I don't think I need to explain what tasks will be carried out there, am I correct?" He asked, all of the soldiers shaking their heads in response. "Get to it!"

He watched as they all scrambled, most arguing about who got what job. He didn't care how they split it up, just as long as the job got done and it got done right. He secretly hoped at least one of the brats would screw something up so he could yell at them.

"Levi seems in a good mood today." Armin spoke quietly to Mikasa, causing the girl to hum in response. "I wonder if he's finally starting to cool off about the Eren thing?"

Mikasa looked at Armin for a second, pondering whether or not the boy had "cooled off" about it, himself. "Don't tell me you have, Armin?" she asked.

"Well, no, but I'm not going to worry about it as much as everyone else. Think about it, Mikasa, this is Eren we're talking about. He's practically been killed twelve times and hasn't left us yet." Mikasa let out a sigh.

"I guess you're right, I just hope we'll be able to find him soon." She said quietly. Armin gave her a sad look, nodding his head in agreement. He looked back over to Levi, who was now headed towards the living quarters, his head down and his posture slightly slumped.

Levi made his way to his own room, closing the door behind him and taking a seat at his desk. He rested his elbows on the small wooden table, letting his head rest in his hands. "Where are you?" he whispered. He lifted his head out of his hands and picked up the report they handed him that day during his training duty.

_Eren Jaeger, age eighteen, was reported kidnapped. A group of students claimed they were watching Jaeger give a demonstration on using maneuvering gear when a titan grabbed him from the air and took off with him. He was not reported eaten or dead. This occurred just outside of Wall Rose in the Trost area. A search crew will be sent out in order to find Jaeger and bring him back. March 26. _

"It doesn't make sense!" Levi exclaimed, tightening his fingers around the worn paper. He had read the report at least a hundred times, hoping something would click in his brain. But, as always, nothing would come to him. And why would it? It's not as if he could have known a titan would grab Eren and take off with him. The only thing he did know, was that it was a shifter like Eren, a normal titan would have eaten the boy on the spot.

'What do I do?' Levi thought to himself, trying to think up a way to get the captain start the search crew up again. The abduction had happened just a little over four months ago, taking everyone by surprise, and leaving everyone in fear. After a month of searching and getting no where, they called off the search, so many lives lost, so many risks taken. 'I have to ask Erwin if we can start it again.' With that thought in mind, Levi stood from his seat and rushed out the door.

On his way out he spotted Mikasa and Armin sitting at a table together, most likely conversing about the latest news on military technology, something Levi found out Armin was very interested in. He walked up to the two, clearing his throat to get their attention.

"Oh, hello Officer Levi! Do you need something?" Armin asked, looking up at Levi with a smile on his face.

"I was just wondering if the two of you had seen Erwin today? I really need to speak with him about something and I haven't seen him yet." He said to the two. They both seemed to ponder the question, Mikasa looking to Armin.

"I think I sa-" Armin started, but was cut short by Mikasa.

"I saw where he went to earlier, but the only way I'll tell you is if you tell me what you need to speak with him about." Mikasa said firmly. She could tell it was something about Eren. She hadn't seen Levi's eyes filled with so much hope before.

Levi let out a tiny scoff, "It's nothing of your concern." He replied.

"The hell it is. If it's about Eren, it's my concern." She countered. Levi raised his eyebrows at her response, giving in and taking a seat with the two soldiers.

"Alright, fine, but don't tell anyone about this, alright?" he asked, the two nodded their head and leaned closer, creating a barrier to the outside world. Levi exhaled, gathering his thoughts, "I'm going to ask Erwin if we can start the search for Eren back up."

Mikasa gave him a look of bewilderment, "Do you know where he is?" she asked quickly, feeling a rush of excitement run through her.

Levi started shaking his head. "I wish I did, but I do not. However, something tells me that this time we'll find him. We just have to. We need to find him. I need to find him." Levi said, gradually getting quieter. Armin, the most sympathetic out of the trio, gave Levi a sad look. He had never heard his captain sound so sad before.

"Right, and how do we convince Erwin to do this?" Mikasa asked.

"We?" Levi said, shaking his head at the girl. "No, no, no. Just me. The two of you don't need to involve yourselves in this. Trust me." he said, putting emphasis on the word 'trust'.

"You better believe I'll be a part of this! I wasn't allowed in the last search, so I want in on this one!" Mikasa said, making Levi shake his head in refusal again. He continued shaking his head for a few moments.

"I can't let you, Mikasa. Eren would never forgive me if I let you go out there and get hurt." He said to her, knowing his words sounded foolish and false. Everyone in the whole damn society knew Mikasa Ackerman was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She didn't need to rely on the protection of others.

"And how do you think Eren would feel if I let something happen to you?" She shot back.

"She has a point there." Armin said, putting in his input. Levi looked at the two of them, letting a long sigh escape his lips.

"Fine, I guess you can come, but let me do all of the talking, okay? Erwin and I go way back, so I know just how to play the cards right. Got it?" He asked the pair. They both gave a curt nod. "Alright, let's go." He said, standing from the table, Mikasa and Armin following suit.

**Sorry for any mistakes, blah blah blah. Review if you're interested in reading more. I actually have quiet a bit of this story planned out! :)**


End file.
